The Federal Trade Commission is seeking the first civil penalties for violations of the National Do Not Call Registry.
Las Vegas-based telemarketing group, Braglia Marketing Group LLC, has made more than 300,000 calls to consumers who registered their phone numbers on the Do Not Call Registry, according to the FTC.
BMG calls consumers on behalf of its clients, including Flagship Resort Development Corp. and Atlantic Palace Development LLC, which sell timeshares in Atlantic City, N.J.
The FTC alleges the company also has made more than 10,000 calls to various phone numbers without first paying the required annual fee to access the registered numbers in those area codes. BMG also has abandoned calls to consumers by failing to connect the call to a representative within two seconds after consumers answered the phones, according to the FTC.
This is the first time the agency has sought civil penalties for violations of the registry. The FTC has charged the company with violating the Do Not Call Registry, as well as provisions of the Telemarketing Sales Rule.
At the FTC’s request, the complaint was filed by the U.S. Department of Justice in U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada.
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